Easy Meatballs and Polenta

This is one of those recipes that is near and dear to my heart. Meatballs and polenta has become my showstopper dish when I have people coming over for dinner. For years I have worked to execute exotic, technically difficult dishes when I have company over and it's only when I was pressed for time or had a specific request that I begrudgingly made something simple instead. What I found time and again was that while the "fancy" dishes were always well-received, there is just something about elevating basic ingredients that everyone loves. Sure, you can impress with a perfectly executed crème brûlée but when you can create magic with simple things like ground beef, corn meal and cheese you will win over even the stiffest of critics. I think this is because with all the hustle and bustle required of us to survive, it feels good to be reminded that you don't need to have a ton of time or skill to make delicious food for the ones you love.

As an aside, I won't lie...I use store bought red sauce because I just have not mastered the art of homemade yet but feel free to use whatever you prefer. Homemade red sauce would just elevate this to the next level.

Directions:

Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds lean ground beef (I used 94/6 but you can use whatever you can find. This is also amazingly delicious with veal/beef/pork mix but I'm trying to give up eating baby animals)
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs*
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup cream*
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/4 pound mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced (reserved for later)

Directions:

1. Mince your garlic, add to a large bowl with egg, cream, mustard and Worcestershire sauce - whisk to combine. Turn oven on to 400 while you prep the meatballs.
2.  Add ground beef to bowl and begin mixing. Add in breadcrumbs until the mixture is sticky and just barely holds together in balls. *You may need to add more cream or more breadcrumbs in order to reach this consistency. 
3. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a cast iron skillet on medium heat for several minutes. Once oil is up to temp add your meatballs and brown on all sides,  about 15 minutes total. 
4. Cover cast iron with foil and place into oven for about 20 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through. Remove foil, cover each meatball with a think layer of mozzarella cheese and return to oven for another 5ish minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve with warmed sauce over polenta immediately. 

Polenta

Ingredients:

• 5 cups unsalted beef stock (you can use whatever stock or broth that you want but beef is my favorite for polenta served with meatballs)
• 1 cup dry polenta
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup whipped cream cheese
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Heat your stock in a sauce pan over high heat until it reaches a rolling boil. 
2. Turn burner down to medium-low (simmering) and slowly whisk in polenta in a steady stream.
3.  Turn heat down to low (only bubbling occasionally) and stir every minute or so for the next 12-15 minutes until polenta has thickened. 
4. Remove polenta from heat and add in butter, cream cheese, sour cream and salt. Stir until combined. Serve with meatballs and leave covered over low heat for seconds.